DayZ is the kind of game you'd have no problem defining as unfinished. Still being in Alpha, it has numerous bugs and issues, and is fairly lackluster in terms of content. But fear not, Bohemia's DayZ team have got you covered. In a new thread on the official forums, Dean 'Rocket' Hall goes over the changelog for an upcoming patch, due to be released in the first full week of February.

While it's mostly the usual list of fixes and additions, a few points are a bit more interesting. To veterans of DayZ, server hopping mid-combat is a serious issue that can completely break the immersion. Many players resort to disconnecting from a server whenever they are shot at. Some remain disconnected until it's safe to return, while others use this exploit with more malicious intentions. They'll disconnect, join a different server, run around the enemy's position, then re-join the first server and shoot the enemy in the back. Sounds cheap? Yeah, that's because it is. This new patch aims to fix that problem, or at least minimize it.

"Login: Player queuing system introduced. Penalty waiting time added for switching server or disconnecting a server quickly."

It's good that they're working on solving the exploit, but it's not going to be fixed entirely just yet. Players can still disconnect to dodge your bullets, or avoid being hand cuffed. Some fans have suggested forcing player models to remain on a server for a short while even after disconnecting, but Bohemia have not responded to these requests.

Furthermore, the patch adds in a few more items. You'll now find machetes scattered around the world, you'll be able to clap and point, drinking and eating is supposed to be "more robust and user-friendly", and the hacksaw can be used to release hand cuffed players. Numerous bugs have also been addressed, including better hit detection for zombies, painting items no longer also repairs them, and so on. For the full scoop, be sure to check out the full changelog.

Though the stable patch won't be out until early February, it's already possible to opt in on Steam, for the beta version of the patch... the patch for the alpha version of the game. A beta within an alpha? I'm too lazy to make up an Inception reference, but you're free to do it yourself if you feel like it. Until next time!